A warm breeze crept through the tiny gap of the windowsill. It was a refreshing change from the cold spring air as the sun hung in the middle of the sky. The entire room was bathed in the comforting sunlight, and Carl couldn't help but lean back in his wooden chair, enjoying the pleasant atmosphere as the aroma of his steeped tea lingered in the air.

Surprisingly, today had been incredibly productive for him. Looking at the thirty-centimeter-high stack of documents that had been reviewed and processed, a smile appeared on his lips. To top it off, even his plan for Arthur to patrol with David worked out better than expected. Carl turned his head to the side and glanced at the two fools who were dueling in the middle of the arena. Seeing their daily lives returning to normal was rewarding, like a puzzle where all the pieces neatly fell into place.

"Ha…honestly, I impress myself sometimes." Carl chuckled in amusement while raising his white porcelain tea cup to his lips.

The white swirls that spiraled into the air from the orange liquid were a delicacy many didn't have the luxury to enjoy, and today was a worthy day to enjoy such a drink. Setting the teacup back onto the desk, Carl froze for a moment as he stared into the orange liquid. Small ripples emerged from the center of the drink and hit the outer rim of the pristine cup, causing Carl to close both eyes while gently resting one hand on top of the stack of papers. With a loud bang, the door to his office burst open and slammed into the wall, causing a handful of books to fall from their shelves.

"How many times must I tell you to gently enter my office, Paul." An unamused expression reflected on Carl. He expected something to happen as the day was going far too well.

"It's urgent, Captain. I fear there is evil once more hiding in the city's shadows." Paul slammed the door behind him before taking several steps toward Carl's desk. With both hands resting on the edge of the wooden tabletop, Paul leaned forward and whispered, "There have been reports of numerous missing citizens in the eastern district."

"I know," Carl immediately responded, pulling out a neatly folded piece of paper from his drawer.

"Right, I was surprised as well-" Paul paused momentarily, blinking countless times before twirling the end of his mustache. "You know?"

"Yes, to some extent, but I only knew what was happening in the western district. It seems like both the west and east districts have cases where people have gone missing, and so far, no issues have appeared from the other two." Carl sipped his tea before pushing the folded paper across the table to Paul. "I've taken some precautions, but it seems I've run into an issue."

Paul carefully opened the folded paper and read its contents. His eyes were set ablaze as his teeth grinded against each other. "Is this true?"

"It's been confirmed by Tucker. I haven't sent anyone else to double-check, but so far, it matches the reports of the Eastern guards." Carl placed the teacup on top of the porcelain plate. His eyes fell onto the calendar on the side of the desk. There was a sense of severity to his words that weighed down on Paul: "I plan to assemble a strike force with all the other Captains."

"A strike force?" Paul couldn't help but ask, "Does that mean we've already found the location where the missing citizens are held?"

"No, not yet. Currently, Tucker has taken a leave of absence to investigate further," Carl's response caused Paul to struggle to accept what he heard.

Taking several steps back, Paul sat on the blue cotton sofa with a look that betrayed Carl's expectations. "Are you sure we can trust Tucker to find the location?"

"I know you have your doubts because of his bad work habits, but don't forget that Tucker is the best in this field," Carl reassuringly said.

"I find it hard to believe no matter how many times I hear it," Paul said while scoffing. "Do you think we'll be able to pull through?"

"Honestly, I'm unsure." Carl tiredly sighed at the inconvenient timing. Most of the veteran guards were sent north, so only rookies, excluding the Western guards, were left behind. "I would be lying if I told you I had full faith in the current guards' capabilities. We may need to assemble all hands for this situation."

"All hands…does that include Arthur?" A hint of concern was concealed behind Paul's question.

Carl's eyes moved towards the doorway, then back at Paul, "Yes, that includes Arthur."

"I'm against it." Paul struck the wooden coffee table before him.

"Oh, and why's that?" Carl asked.

"Because he's a child!" The clear frustration in Paul's voice caused Carl to glance at the door again.

It was an understandable reaction, but Carl knew that he couldn't control Arthur and that the young boy who joined their ranks was more unpredictable than he thought. Knowing Arthur's personality, he would go off alone, so it was better to have someone watch over him directly.

"Do you think what he's been through is normal for a child?" Carl asked.

"No…but that doesn't mean we can endanger him," Paul replied.

"In your opinion, would you say Arthur's weak?" Carl recalled the spars between Arthur and Paul, and each one was entertaining in their own right.

"He's not weak but inexperienced," Paul answered,

Carl carefully held onto the handle of the ivory porcelain teapot. On its surface was an ordinary design of a golden tree that looked poorly drawn. As the steaming tea cascaded from the spout into the still cup, a sweet fragrance emerged and filled the tea cup nearly to its brim.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Before taking a sip, Carl calmly asked, "And how does one get experience?"

"I know...but I fear this is too dangerous." Paul urged Carl to reconsider, but he simply shook his head.

After observing Paul's demeanor, Carl understood the anxiety that brewed within him. However, if there was one lesson Carl learned throughout his life, it was that trials came in all forms, and if Arthur chose to walk through the flames, then he would support him.

"Arthur will be the one to make that decision." The words that came out of Carl's mouth were like a tremendous weight that pressed down against Paul's body.

In one final desperate attempt, Paul said, "But what if he slows us down?"

"Him? Slow you guys down?" Carl erupted in laughter before hitting the top of his desk and said, "I would worry more about yourselves. That brat is more stubborn than you think. Isn't that right, Arthur?"

Paul stared at Carl in confusion, wondering what he meant, but soon turned towards the entrance of the office as the wooden door slowly creaked open. In came Arthur carrying a bucket of water and a pair of rags used to wipe down the surface of furniture.

"You called Captain Carl Sir!" Arthur saluted Carl while holding the bucket, causing small splashes of water to fall out at the sudden gesture.

"Just Captain will suffice…" Carl motioned for Arthur to take a seat across from Paul. "I see you're working hard as always, definitely not eavesdropping on our conversation, right?"

"Yes, Captain! I would never eavesdrop on your conversation! It wouldn't be me; I don't even know what eavesdropping is!" Accepting the offer, Arthur lowered himself onto the sofa after placing the cleaning supplies on the floor. He avoided Paul's frightening gaze and admired the ceiling.

"No need to shout. You're making my ears ring. Also, if you're going to secretly listen to someone's conversation, try not to make it so obvious." Carl didn't even need to guess where the young boy in front of him was getting these bad habits from. Instead, he made a mental note to appear more before the children in the barracks to counteract the unruly behavior.

Arthur frowned at how easily he was caught and said, "But I did what Tucker did."

"He's a special case, don't copy him." Carl took a sip from his teacup before noticing Arthur's odd leer and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No… it's just that, do old people normally drink tea?" Arthur asked.

Carl nearly spat out his tea upon hearing Arthur's rude question. Even Paul, who was fiercely observing Arthur, dryly coughed. Both of them stared at Arthur, who innocently scratched his head.

"Tea isn't only for us aged folks. It's for everyone of all ages." Carl felt his pride as a tea connoisseur take a heavy hit from Arthur's ignorant remark.

"Right…but isn't it just watered-down leaves?" After Arthur spoke, a profound silence filled the air.

The silence was deafening as the air froze. Carl held his hands together before his lips and asked, "Paul, did you teach Arthur this?"

"No sir, I would never," Paul replied with both hands firmly gripped together on his thighs.

"Who did? Was it Mark? Cain? Even David and Welt know the aromatics of a freshly brewed morning tea." The rapid succession of questions made a single droplet of sweat trail down the side of Paul's face as Carl listed multiple names while closely inspecting Paul for the slightest change in expression.

"I honestly don't know who would instill such heinous thoughts into Arthur's head. I only focus on sparring and sparring techniques," Paul calmly said without a single change in his expression.

"Hmm…" Carl lightly tapped his fingertips against each other several times before firmly eyeing Arthur and speaking sternly. "I'll personally teach you the difference when I'm free."

"It's okay, I'm-" Arthur felt his mouth forcefully close as a suffocating pressure encased him.

"You don't get to refuse. I will make it my goal to teach you the beauty and elegance of nature's richest flavors," Carl said.

Carl fell back into his chair, unlike Arthur, who was relaxed with his back against the sofa. The posture that followed Carl made the chair crack beneath his weight, signifying the menacing demeanor that caused the hair on Arthur's back to stand straight.

With a firm tone, Carl added, "Let's move on to the matter at hand. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." Arthur and Paul both replied in unison.

"Excellent. Now, I plan to have two strike teams formed for the western guard." As Carl scribbled a few names on a blank piece of paper, Paul could see from afar that two circles were drawn surrounding the names.

"Oh no." Paul's pupils trembled nervously.

Ignoring Paul's sudden outburst, Carl continued, "The first team is Cain, David, and Mark."

"Oh no!" Paul couldn't help but yell in dismay, leaping out of his seat before Carl.

"Oh no?" Arthur's face was perplexed as he listened to their conversation.

"Carl, surely we don't need to include that conman in our group," Paul said.

In truth, Carl expected Paul's hasty objection. Since his faith required them to live a righteous and upright life, it wasn't hard to predict how Paul would react, but after carefully considering it, this was the best team in terms of defense.

Leaning to the side, Carl pointed at Arthur with his index finger and said, "Can you protect him by yourself?"

"Well, probably, but-" Rather than finishing his sentence, Paul hesitated because he knew where Carl was going with this question.

"Will you be able to protect him better than Welt, who specializes in barrier magic?" Carl's words dug into Paul's pride, who remained silent.

Carl harbored no ill intentions toward Paul, but he needed some extra reassurance. Arthur seemed capable, but to Carl, he was still a child who wandered from home too soon. So, learning from his past mistakes, the plan was to stack the odds in Arthur's favor instead of resorting to excessive force to restrict him. It was better than waking up one night and finding a letter saying they left.

"Don't look too much into it, Paul. It's just extra protection for our newest recruit when your team investigates the slums." Carl stood up and walked beside Paul, placing one hand on his shoulder to comfort the dispirited man. "Besides, it's great that you two are here because I called for Welt early this morning. He should be arriving any minute now."

The wooden door creaked open once more, revealing the figure of a man roughly a foot taller than Arthur. He yawned tiredly and scratched the back of his head, running his fingers through his verdant hair. With a worn-out tone, he called out to Carl, "I'm here, Captain. What did you call me for?"

"Speak of the devil. There he is right now." Carl welcomed Welt with open arms and said, "Meet your new team-"

"Hell no." Welt grasped the doorknob and pulled the door towards him, slamming it shut while retreating into the hallway. The wall shook when the door met the fragile frame, littering the floor with tiny wooden splinters.